Parents' shock as Danesfield School teacher is suspended after claims children's mouths were taped shut

A TEACHER from Danesfield School in Williton has been suspended following claims that children's mouths were taped shut in a classroom.

Head teacher Ian Bradbury took the decision after parents voiced their concerns on Tuesday. He has written to parents promising a ‘full and thorough investigation’.

Parent Sarah Gower said her son told her about the alleged incident when she returned home from work on Monday.

She told the County Gazette: “Aiden said that they were playing a game in the classroom and giggling because it was fun.

“The teacher told them to be quiet and when they didn’t quieten down, the teacher put tape over all of their mouths.

“My son has asthma and he said he couldn’t breathe.

“He didn’t want to go into school this morning because he was supposed to have the teacher for another lesson.

“I just can’t believe that something like this would happen – it’s absolutely appalling.”

A number of other parents went into the school on Tuesday morning to speak to Mr Bradbury.
He is said to have taken statements from all of the children as well as meeting several concerned parents.

A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police said they were aware of the incident and was working with the local authority on the matter.

The Education Act of 2011 means the County Gazette is unable to name the teacher.

Dad Adam Knowles told the County Gazette on Tuesday: “I was absolutely shocked when my son Ryan told me what had happened – it’s just shocking and unacceptable.

“Danesfield School is a good school, my son goes here and I want to send my two little girls here. I’ve not had any problems with it until now.”

He said his son Ryan was one of the pupils who had allegedly had his mouth taped. The 11-year-old pupil said: “We were all playing a game and we were in pairs.

“We had to close our eyes and because we kept bumping into stuff we were going ‘ow’ and laughing.

“Our teacher went into the cupboard and said if we didn’t stop laughing that our mouths would be taped up.

“We all had to line up. I had pieces of tape on my mouth. I didn’t want to come to school today it was horrible.”

Mum Stacey Bradbury said she couldn’t believe her ears when son Thomas told her about the alleged incident.

She said: “Thomas said they were all made to line up and had Sellotape put on their mouths for being noisy.

“Apparently one little girl was left with a bleeding mouth – it’s just absolutely disgraceful. Thomas was so upset he didn’t want to go into school on Tuesday.

“The teacher apparently told them that that was a lesson learned and warned them that if they were noisy again it would happen again.”

Mr Bradbury said: “We take all allegations concerning the well-being of our children very seriously.
“An incident happened on Monday which we are investigating thoroughly.

“A member of staff has been suspended while the investigation continues.

“My thanks to the numerous parents who have brought this matter to my personal attention and have given their ongoing support to us in this challenging situation.”

Ian Liddell-Grainger, the MP for West Somerset, said: “I will be making sure that the investigation is dealt with thoroughly and I have been in contact with Michael Gove to let him know about the matter and to assure him we are taking the matter seriously.”

The incident happened on the first working day after Danesfield School, Old Cleeve and St Peter's First Schools became a multi-academy trust known as the Quantock Academy on March 1.

(Adam Knowles with his son Ryan. Photo: SWNS)

Was your child in the classroom when the incident happened? Get in touch - danielle.morris@nqsw.co.uk or call 01823-365022.

Comments (28)

Parents failing to accept their children's I'll discipline. I would hazard a guess that these children need to be taught such lessons at home as its unfair to punish and ruin a teachers career because of bad parenting. These parents were probably bullies themselves as children.

Parents failing to accept their children's I'll discipline. I would hazard a guess that these children need to be taught such lessons at home as its unfair to punish and ruin a teachers career because of bad parenting. These parents were probably bullies themselves as children.spw985

I agree with spw985, I don't have children myself but I certainly was no angel growing up and have been witness to bullies and troublemakers when I was at school. I would say that the apple obviously doesn't fall far from the tree.

I agree with spw985, I don't have children myself but I certainly was no angel growing up and have been witness to bullies and troublemakers when I was at school. I would say that the apple obviously doesn't fall far from the tree.klouisep85

The Gazette is usually most eager to trumpet the arrival of newly established Academy status schools.

How positively 'strange' therefore that the Gazette omit to mention the fact that Danesfield School converted to an Academy only last Saturday!

Danesfield School is also a Church of England school.

Many readers will view this reported abuse of a pupil as entirely consistent with the unspoken yet none-the-less institutionalised 'ethos' of both Academy status schools, the Church of England and indeed all other so called 'faith based schools'.

Discuss....

The Gazette is usually most eager to trumpet the arrival of newly established Academy status schools.
How positively 'strange' therefore that the Gazette omit to mention the fact that Danesfield School converted to an Academy only last Saturday!
Danesfield School is also a Church of England school.
Many readers will view this reported abuse of a pupil as entirely consistent with the unspoken yet none-the-less institutionalised 'ethos' of both Academy status schools, the Church of England and indeed all other so called 'faith based schools'.
Discuss....ShoulderToShoulder

It wouldn't be the parents fault, even after the teacher asked them to be quite they kept giggling.
My children are at Danesfield and I'm glad the teacher is trying to keep control of the class.

It wouldn't be the parents fault, even after the teacher asked them to be quite they kept giggling.
My children are at Danesfield and I'm glad the teacher is trying to keep control of the class.Freetalk

In today’s climate of political correctness, this incident should not have happened. However, it should not be a career breaker for this unfortunate teacher. There have been no reports as to the context of the incident, whether it was done in anger or with humour. The children were obviously being disruptive, which is unfair to the rest of the class. The teacher had probably tried everything else in their power to settle these children down. Parents must understand that in a classroom environment, there has to be discipline, and it is the parents’ job to teach their children that they must behave in class and respect the teacher. If my child (my children were born in the 90’s) came home and told me that this had happened to them, I would be asking them why they had not been quiet when the teacher had asked them to. Whilst I would not have been at all happy with the situation, I would not have gone to the school to report the teacher, and I certainly would not have gone to the media to start a campaign against the them. Perhaps the parents of these children should have asked them if they would have preferred to have a bit of tape stuck on them or be sent to Mr Bradbury (the headmaster), they probably would have chosen the tape. I just hope that this is not the beginning of a hysterical witch hunt, whipped up by parents who should perhaps be telling their children off for their bad behaviour, rather than trying to destroy someone’s career.

In today’s climate of political correctness, this incident should not have happened. However, it should not be a career breaker for this unfortunate teacher. There have been no reports as to the context of the incident, whether it was done in anger or with humour. The children were obviously being disruptive, which is unfair to the rest of the class. The teacher had probably tried everything else in their power to settle these children down. Parents must understand that in a classroom environment, there has to be discipline, and it is the parents’ job to teach their children that they must behave in class and respect the teacher. If my child (my children were born in the 90’s) came home and told me that this had happened to them, I would be asking them why they had not been quiet when the teacher had asked them to. Whilst I would not have been at all happy with the situation, I would not have gone to the school to report the teacher, and I certainly would not have gone to the media to start a campaign against the them. Perhaps the parents of these children should have asked them if they would have preferred to have a bit of tape stuck on them or be sent to Mr Bradbury (the headmaster), they probably would have chosen the tape. I just hope that this is not the beginning of a hysterical witch hunt, whipped up by parents who should perhaps be telling their children off for their bad behaviour, rather than trying to destroy someone’s career.Lulu2011

Sounds like my kind of teacher, maybe the parent who complained should pay more time educating said child/children on how to behave at school. There are no consequences to their bad behaviour these days. I for one support this teacher who was no doubt driven to distraction by these badly behaved children.

Sounds like my kind of teacher, maybe the parent who complained should pay more time educating said child/children on how to behave at school. There are no consequences to their bad behaviour these days. I for one support this teacher who was no doubt driven to distraction by these badly behaved children.Gem64

The point is as per the article "The teacher told them to be quiet and when they didn't quieten down they put tape over ALL of their mouths".

I suspect therefore there were a small handful of miscreants who then made it bad for the rest of the class, was unnecessary to punish ALL of them however.

Sadly in this day & age a teacher is not even allowed to put an arm around a pupil who is upset, could be deemed as abuse. This instance goes beyond that though. This is not a problem inner city area.

At my time in school in the early 60's (incidentally the same school when it was a secondary modern) any trouble and you had the cane, then you were almost anticipating another hiding from a parent when you got home.

Those days are gone, and yes I agree some parents are lacking when it comes to discipline but it is inexcusable for the school staff to administer such draconian measures.

In our time teachers were respected or perhaps we were more awestruck. Sometimes a scathing look or being ordered to stand outside of the deputy head's office (Ron Garland at the time) was enough.

If this had happened to any of my Grandchildren I would have been supporting them as well as the parents.

The point is as per the article "The teacher told them to be quiet and when they didn't quieten down they put tape over ALL of their mouths".
I suspect therefore there were a small handful of miscreants who then made it bad for the rest of the class, was unnecessary to punish ALL of them however.
Sadly in this day & age a teacher is not even allowed to put an arm around a pupil who is upset, could be deemed as abuse. This instance goes beyond that though. This is not a problem inner city area.
At my time in school in the early 60's (incidentally the same school when it was a secondary modern) any trouble and you had the cane, then you were almost anticipating another hiding from a parent when you got home.
Those days are gone, and yes I agree some parents are lacking when it comes to discipline but it is inexcusable for the school staff to administer such draconian measures.
In our time teachers were respected or perhaps we were more awestruck. Sometimes a scathing look or being ordered to stand outside of the deputy head's office (Ron Garland at the time) was enough.
If this had happened to any of my Grandchildren I would have been supporting them as well as the parents.Alex@SDA

They should think themselves lucky, in my day we had to duck when the chalk or board rubber came flying across the room or bend down and get a training shoe around your backside if deserved it.
Kids lack discipline these days and most of the parents who complain could do with some, or are they looking for compensation for their little darlings.

They should think themselves lucky, in my day we had to duck when the chalk or board rubber came flying across the room or bend down and get a training shoe around your backside if deserved it.
Kids lack discipline these days and most of the parents who complain could do with some, or are they looking for compensation for their little darlings.FreeSpeech?

I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered.
However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!!
It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!

I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered.
However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!!
It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!Chst79

Come on people don't be so sensitive that poor teacher is just trying to discipline the children if the parents did more to teech there children to have some respect then she wouldn't of had to put tape on there mouth I'm 32 when I was at school teechers would through objects accross the classroom the gain everyone's respect it never did and harm ... I say bring back the cane would stop all the bullying and pupils also might get better educated

Come on people don't be so sensitive that poor teacher is just trying to discipline the children if the parents did more to teech there children to have some respect then she wouldn't of had to put tape on there mouth I'm 32 when I was at school teechers would through objects accross the classroom the gain everyone's respect it never did and harm ... I say bring back the cane would stop all the bullying and pupils also might get better educatedTim Tzl

Chst79 wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!

Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughty

[quote][p][bold]Chst79[/bold] wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise![/p][/quote]Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughtyTim Tzl

I doubt this was carried out with malicious intent, and the child has nostrils so would be able to breathe! He won't be emotionally or physically scared from this incident. One of my primary school teachers packed my bag and marched me to the school gates and threatened to send me back to pre school, I laugh about it now. Get a **** grip parents involved, your not getting any compo!

I doubt this was carried out with malicious intent, and the child has nostrils so would be able to breathe! He won't be emotionally or physically scared from this incident. One of my primary school teachers packed my bag and marched me to the school gates and threatened to send me back to pre school, I laugh about it now. Get a **** grip parents involved, your not getting any compo!Useacarpark.com

I write to say that I agree with some of the sentiments above - but not all!
The teacher who commented does, of course, have a valid point concerning incorrect methods used by the teacher of the class.
However, it is equally true that parents should discipline their own children in their own home and not expect teachers to have to discipline their offspring.
It is a truism that most parents today think far more of themselves than they do of their children who are viewed by their parents as a nuisance, stopping the parents from disporting them selves how they so wish. It's about time that parents actually considered the consequences of a few minutes of 'fun' - or am I being too logical?
While I cannot condone the teacher's actions perhaps the feckless,moronic and selfish parents should look to their own behaviour which quite clearly encourages their children to act as they do.

I write to say that I agree with some of the sentiments above - but not all!
The teacher who commented does, of course, have a valid point concerning incorrect methods used by the teacher of the class.
However, it is equally true that parents should discipline their own children in their own home and not expect teachers to have to discipline their offspring.
It is a truism that most parents today think far more of themselves than they do of their children who are viewed by their parents as a nuisance, stopping the parents from disporting them selves how they so wish. It's about time that parents actually considered the consequences of a few minutes of 'fun' - or am I being too logical?
While I cannot condone the teacher's actions perhaps the feckless,moronic and selfish parents should look to their own behaviour which quite clearly encourages their children to act as they do.avro698

Chst79 wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!

Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughty

Teachers are trained to be able to control a class without physical abuse YES it IS abuse ! My daughter is a teacher of more than 15 years & she is horrified as am I ! Anybody who thinks that taping a child's mouth with tape of any kind is acceptable of a skilled professional is quite frankly just as barbaric themselves !

[quote][p][bold]Tim Tzl[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Chst79[/bold] wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise![/p][/quote]Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughty[/p][/quote]Teachers are trained to be able to control a class without physical abuse YES it IS abuse ! My daughter is a teacher of more than 15 years & she is horrified as am I ! Anybody who thinks that taping a child's mouth with tape of any kind is acceptable of a skilled professional is quite frankly just as barbaric themselves !Jesean

Chst79 wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!

Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughty

Teachers are trained to be able to control a class without physical abuse YES it IS abuse ! My daughter is a teacher of more than 15 years & she is horrified as am I ! Anybody who thinks that taping a child's mouth with tape of any kind is acceptable of a skilled professional is quite frankly just as barbaric themselves !

[quote][p][bold]Tim Tzl[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Chst79[/bold] wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered. However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!! It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise![/p][/quote]Ohhhh come on where is all his going to stop was anybody hurt no ! Might that teechers gained some respect from the children yes appraise children when they are good discipline them when they are naughty[/p][/quote]Teachers are trained to be able to control a class without physical abuse YES it IS abuse ! My daughter is a teacher of more than 15 years & she is horrified as am I ! Anybody who thinks that taping a child's mouth with tape of any kind is acceptable of a skilled professional is quite frankly just as barbaric themselves !Jesean

The physical assault and emotional abuse of children is not acceptable, regardless of their behaviour, and irrespective of whether there was malicious intent on the part of the teacher or not. There are plenty of ways to instill discipline and respect in children and young adults, but sticking sellotape over their mouths in not one.

I too remember the days when teachers threw board dusters across the room (late 70s / early 80s). But rather than earn respect, what they actually achieved was a reputation as a nasty piece of work and a bully.
They also earned hatred and in some cases, the loss of several board dusters. There was one teacher whose board dusters I used to routinely take home whenever I got the chance, just to make it difficult for him to find opportunities to throw them. It would be no exaggeration to say I probably had around 25 of them hidden away somewhere safe by the time I left the school. In the end, I guess when he'd run out of board dusters to borrow, he would resort to cleaning the blackboard with paper towels. Eventually, when I heard the teacher in question had retired, I wrote to the school to let them know where they could find their board dusters if they still wanted them.

I've never liked bullies or bullying.
If for any reason you cannot stand up to them physically, avoid them and / or report them.
Bullies need to be stopped before they cause a situation to escalate into something much worse.The kind of 'respect' gained from bullying really isn't worth having, because there's nothing genuine about it.

Another very negative aspect of this type of incident is that it sends out entirely the wrong message to children when they are at a very impressionable age. The message they get is that they can attain goals by physical intimidation. In other words, it perpetuates the problem, by teaching them how to bully and intimidate others.

The health implications and risks of a situation like this are many, and I have to say I'm amazed that an educated and intelligent person such as a teacher could have possibly thought that such behaviour was acceptable or safe.

The physical assault and emotional abuse of children is not acceptable, regardless of their behaviour, and irrespective of whether there was malicious intent on the part of the teacher or not. There are plenty of ways to instill discipline and respect in children and young adults, but sticking sellotape over their mouths in not one.
I too remember the days when teachers threw board dusters across the room (late 70s / early 80s). But rather than earn respect, what they actually achieved was a reputation as a nasty piece of work and a bully.
They also earned hatred and in some cases, the loss of several board dusters. There was one teacher whose board dusters I used to routinely take home whenever I got the chance, just to make it difficult for him to find opportunities to throw them. It would be no exaggeration to say I probably had around 25 of them hidden away somewhere safe by the time I left the school. In the end, I guess when he'd run out of board dusters to borrow, he would resort to cleaning the blackboard with paper towels. Eventually, when I heard the teacher in question had retired, I wrote to the school to let them know where they could find their board dusters if they still wanted them.
I've never liked bullies or bullying.
If for any reason you cannot stand up to them physically, avoid them and / or report them.
Bullies need to be stopped before they cause a situation to escalate into something much worse.The kind of 'respect' gained from bullying really isn't worth having, because there's nothing genuine about it.
Another very negative aspect of this type of incident is that it sends out entirely the wrong message to children when they are at a very impressionable age. The message they get is that they can attain goals by physical intimidation. In other words, it perpetuates the problem, by teaching them how to bully and intimidate others.
The health implications and risks of a situation like this are many, and I have to say I'm amazed that an educated and intelligent person such as a teacher could have possibly thought that such behaviour was acceptable or safe.JeremyClarksonforPrimeMinister

It's a sad reflection of society that parents don't teach their children to behave.

Teachers are there to teach and the sooner parents instil this into their offspring, the better.

As to the parent who said she was 'traumatised' - what utter rubbish. A mother being traumatised because her child was disciplined? Beggars belief.

In any case, we don't know if this was done in anger or humour. I've no doubt that some of the children took it as a joke and their parents turned it round and told them they'd been abused and were traumatised.

It's a sad reflection of society that parents don't teach their children to behave.
Teachers are there to teach and the sooner parents instil this into their offspring, the better.
As to the parent who said she was 'traumatised' - what utter rubbish. A mother being traumatised because her child was disciplined? Beggars belief.
In any case, we don't know if this was done in anger or humour. I've no doubt that some of the children took it as a joke and their parents turned it round and told them they'd been abused and were traumatised.QuillPen

The kids will laugh about this 'traumatic experience', i suspect some parents did. The result of a parent or parents kicking up a fuss will most likely result in her having to resign or being fired which is ridiculous. To the woman who said her child was not looking forward to going to school the next day, cast your mind back and remember how much you looked forward to going to school as a 10/11 year old, not much i imagine,Got yourself on telly though!!!

The kids will laugh about this 'traumatic experience', i suspect some parents did. The result of a parent or parents kicking up a fuss will most likely result in her having to resign or being fired which is ridiculous. To the woman who said her child was not looking forward to going to school the next day, cast your mind back and remember how much you looked forward to going to school as a 10/11 year old, not much i imagine,Got yourself on telly though!!!Somersetarian

The worst part of this incident is the disruption it has caused to normal school life, they are a teacher down today and her lessons have to be covered. There are no winners here, the teacher involved certainly had an aberration, she should not have done what she did whether as a joke or not but I think the parents of those who were being disrespectful should question themselves and their children and take some of the blame and lead by example not turn this in to a media circus.

The worst part of this incident is the disruption it has caused to normal school life, they are a teacher down today and her lessons have to be covered. There are no winners here, the teacher involved certainly had an aberration, she should not have done what she did whether as a joke or not but I think the parents of those who were being disrespectful should question themselves and their children and take some of the blame and lead by example not turn this in to a media circus.Juliawelly

Chst79 wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered.
However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!!
It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise!

i must say i have to agree with you we are the 21 century and i wouldn't be happy if this was my child. Teachers know how to look after children theses days it doesn't matter what used to happen 20 odd years ago we as parents wouldn't be able to do things like this with out someone breathing down our necks

[quote][p][bold]Chst79[/bold] wrote:
I am a teacher and know this school well. It's a fantastic school with many amazing teachers and this does need to be remembered.
However, all the people who are either condoning the behaviour of this individual or suggesting that this shouldn't be a 'career breaker' for a teacher really shocks me. If in fact this is true as written, yes it should be a career breaker!!!
It's terrifies me that anyone could think otherwise![/p][/quote]i must say i have to agree with you we are the 21 century and i wouldn't be happy if this was my child. Teachers know how to look after children theses days it doesn't matter what used to happen 20 odd years ago we as parents wouldn't be able to do things like this with out someone breathing down our necksladybird14

My son is at the school and came home saying all the class wanted to have tape on, today (Thursday) the boys were passing out tape out side to place over there own mouths, looks like it must of been very scary first time round!

My son is at the school and came home saying all the class wanted to have tape on, today (Thursday) the boys were passing out tape out side to place over there own mouths, looks like it must of been very scary first time round! Freetalk

I used to get the slipper or the ruler or sent out of the classroom but if anyone tapes my son,s mouth shut I would probably resort to violence....And making comments when you don't have children go get a life and place your silly comments elsewhere!

I used to get the slipper or the ruler or sent out of the classroom but if anyone tapes my son,s mouth shut I would probably resort to violence....And making comments when you don't have children go get a life and place your silly comments elsewhere!oxyheamaglobin